Toner cartridges for laser printers include a toner reservoir for storing toner that can be transferred to print media during printing operations. To transfer the toner from the reservoir to the print media, some toner cartridges use a toner supply roller positioned at least partially in the toner reservoir. The toner supply roller picks up toner from the reservoir and transfers it to a development roller. A metering blade regulates the toner amount on the development roller surface. The development roller presents electrically charged and metered toner to the photoconductor for transfer during the image development process. Developed toner then transfers either directly or via other components within the printing apparatus onto the print media.
To control movement of the dry, powdery toner, the toner reservoir is typically sealed off by the metering blade and one or more resilient seals. The blades typically ride against or closely adjacent to rollers such as the development roller to provide a toner-tight seal. The seals may be provided between non-moving structural components and can be used to close off or seal interfaces between various parts that make up the toner cartridge. An example of a toner cartridge that uses resilient seals and blades for sealing the toner reservoir is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,139,975, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
During toner cartridge remanufacturing, the toner cartridge may be at least partially disassembled and cleaned, refilled with toner, and parts of the toner cartridge also may be replaced. To minimize cost and complexity of the remanufacturing process, it may be desirable to reuse as many toner cartridge components as possible.